Morton visit Starks Park for a play date with Raith Rovers. The two clubs have met in league action twice so far, both games ending in a 1 - 1 score. A win for Morton will move them up in the mini-division of clubs stuck in the 4th to 7th place bracket -- Morton, Hamilton, Livingston and Partick. A win by Raith will probably end talk of the mini-division by greatly reducing the gap between it and the three -- Raith, Ayr and QoS --who are trying to avoid relegation.
Both Raith and Morton have had disappointing years, though for different reasons. Raith were in the upper half of the division last year, but have been unable to stay clear of the relegation zone this year. Morton are maybe slightly better than last year, but that spell in first place back in September raised expectations that are now dashed weekly. Other disappointed clubs: Hamilton, for falling as far as they have since dropping out of the SPL; Livingston, for stalling on the way up to the SPL; Queen of the South in tenth. Ayr, despite holding tenth place much of the time, live in hope, and have done well in the cup competitions.
The Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012 is now in effect.
The soccer year is getting under way in the countries where they play summer football. To further the cause of summer football for Scotland, and to have something to write about on Saturdays this May and June, I'm going to follow one club from each of three summer countries: from the Irish Republic, University College Dublin Amateur Football Club; from Japan, Mito Hollyhock; and from South Korea, as well as the Dennis the Menace Red and Black Group, Pohang Steelers. The contrast between the Scottish way of football and the foreign ways of those other countries might prove to be stark, so hold on to a chair or table.
Here's a difference between Scotland and Japan: Mito Hollyhock brand milk, consumed by 10,000 schoolchildren daily in Ibaraki prefecture. This is how you build the fanbase! Greenock Morton, steal this good idea! Morton milk!
The League of Ireland Premier Division began play yesterday with six Friday night games. Partick Thistle fans will be interested to discover that nearly all fixtures for this league are played on Friday night. University College Dublin AFC hosted Cork City yesterday evening. [UCD 1, Cork City 0.]
Today is the official beginning of the soccer season in Japan, marked by the playing of the Fuji Xerox Super Cup between last year's J1 champion Kashiwa Reysol and the Emperor's Cup winner FC Tokyo. [Kashiwa 2, FC Toyko 1.] Tomorrow sees Mito Hollyhock host Yokohama FC in J2 league play. [Mito 2, Yokohama 1.]
In South Korea Pohang Steelers hosted Ulsan Hyundai. [Pohang 0, Ulsan 1.]
[Lord love a duck. Raith 5, Morton 0.]
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